How the Threat of Lawsuits Chills Free Press
It's a problem I have spoken about a lot, but hopefully it will get more attention
I appeared last week with James White on Critical Disclosure. Find the episode here.
We talked about how the threat of lawsuits chills the press: primarily when it comes to covering child custody and Child Protective Services issues.
The appearance followed two recent stories: one about Virginia newsman Curt Autry and how Stew Peters cancelled on me when I wanted to talk about Elaine Pudlowski.
Both stories involve the media resisting a whole segment of stories because the threat of lawsuits make them too risky.
Autry put up a post last month complaining that he had received twenty-three tags from people hoping he would cover their child custody case.
“Here’s the thing. It’s not that I’m not sympathetic to your plight, but TV stations almost NEVER do stories about these types of things (for legal reasons),” Autry said in an unusually candid admission.
He went on to do #IaintMaury, suggesting these stories are better on Maury Povich.
After he was called out, Autry did a follow up post.
“Obviously, women and children in peril are stories we deeply care about, and routinely cover,” he said. They may cover them, but not if those stories involve a child custody issue.
Stew Peters is no different.
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